US Representative Joe Wilson Sr., an American politician and attorney, has described the Makkah Defence Alliance as having the potential to become the “NATO of the Middle East”.
“The Mecca Defense Alliance has the potential to be the NATO of the Middle East. I am grateful to our allies Türkiye, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia for activating the alliance in the face of Houthi Iranian-backed aggression,” Wilson said in a post on X.
His comments came after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye agreed to rapidly deploy military forces and capabilities to the kingdom following an emergency meeting of the alliance’s Strategic Political and Defence Committee (SPDC) in Riyadh.
The Foreign Office (FO) said the three countries had agreed to begin implementing their collective defence commitments, including measures to ensure the rapid deployment of agreed military forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia.
The meeting condemned attempts to target Makkah and Madina, as well as attacks on Saudi cities and civilian and economic facilities, while reaffirming the three countries’ opposition to threats against the kingdom’s security and territorial integrity.
Pakistan and Turkiye also commended the readiness of Saudi forces in responding to threats facing the kingdom, according to the Foreign Office.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said Pakistan and Turkiye currently had supportive roles in the theatre, while Saudi forces were conducting combat operations. He added that Pakistan was involved in reconnaissance.
Asif said the Riyadh meeting had also formalised the alliance’s organisational structure.
The Makkah Defence Agreement, signed on Aug 7, provides for collective defence, under which an attack on one member is treated as an attack on all signatories.
